Book Review : Plague by Wendy Orent
Jul. 8th, 2013 12:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99The book's full title is Plague: The Mysterious Past and Terrifying Future of the World's Most Dangerous Disease so I trust you won't mind me shortening it.
It's a good read and Orent makes a good case for her theory about the reason for the differences in the three plague epidemics that there is a written record for. She also gives proper references which is always good in a science book. I feel she writes better about the historical plagues better than she writes about the science (and no, I'm not bitter because she describes one of the major research areas in my field as arcana). I also feel she's far too willing to take statements by her sources at face value.
All that being said, I recommend the book to anyone interested in Yersina pestis, historical plagues and epidemiology.
It's a good read and Orent makes a good case for her theory about the reason for the differences in the three plague epidemics that there is a written record for. She also gives proper references which is always good in a science book. I feel she writes better about the historical plagues better than she writes about the science (and no, I'm not bitter because she describes one of the major research areas in my field as arcana). I also feel she's far too willing to take statements by her sources at face value.
All that being said, I recommend the book to anyone interested in Yersina pestis, historical plagues and epidemiology.
